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Amazing Facts

Doug Batchelor

The Devil’s Deadliest Deception

This presentation is brought to you by the Friends of the Amazing Facts Ministry.

Jesus said in Matthew 28, 19, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.

Here at Amazing Facts, we take the Great Commission seriously.

That's why we're an international ministry.

I've personally had the privilege of sharing the gospel in many countries, from China to New Guinea, from Russia to Africa to India, and it's evident that people everywhere have a hunger for the word of God.

As we make significant progress in delivering God's message, there's still a lot of work to be done.

It's not enough that people know about Jesus, people need to experience a new birth and to know the fantastic love of God.

Many people across the globe are struggling, but God is still love.

And it's our mission here at Amazing Facts, and it's our joy, to show that love to others by sharing the good news.

We pray that today's program will bless and inspire you to share God's word with others and don't forget, stay tuned for today's free offer at the conclusion of the presentation.

The devil's most dangerous deception is that the warnings of sin do not apply to you.

That sin is really going to bring you satisfaction, But it doesn't.

That somehow you'll have some enhanced experience through sin.

You know, back in 2008 we all saw the unfolding of the most serious Ponzi scheme and fraud and scam in history of the world.

Bernie Madoff, people had fun with his name because he made off with everybody's money.

Bernie made off, made off with $64.8 billion of other people's money.

It's just mind-boggling how it could take so long.

But people put their life savings, they trusted him that he was going to make it grow.

He was promising better returns than anybody, which ought to make you suspicious.

They say in the world of investment, hogs get slaughtered.

Meaning if you get greedy for high yields, you may really get taken to the slaughterhouse.

And he promised such great returns, well he just had so many new people that kept investing, wanting to cash in on this great, that he was keeping it for himself.

He was working the books and changing the numbers, and he was able to hide it.

Be able to hide it even from investigators for years.

And then it was found out almost overnight that it had been squandered and lost, either by his spending it or in bad investments.

You work all your life, you save, you're planning on all those good years, and you find out some swindler had fooled you and you have nothing.

There were companies that had invested other people's money in foundations that were supposed to give to causes in the poor, and they were wiped out.

He makes promises he doesn't plan on delivering.

And some people are risking losing everything.

This is something you cannot get wrong, friends.

Jesus made it clear in his opening teachings there in Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount, chapter 7, not everybody who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father in heaven.

Many will say to me, Lord, Lord, in that day, meaning the great judgment day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name?

We've cast out demons, they seem to have some evidence of success in your name.

And we've done many wonders, seems like there's power.

And I'll declare to them, I never knew you, depart from me, you who practice lawlessness.

Not everybody who takes the name of Jesus is automatically saved.

Not everybody who even has evidence of success is automatically saved.

There might be areas where it looks like they've cast out some demons and they have wonderful power.

They might even have what looks like a successful ministry.

The bottom line, Jesus says, if you are practicing lawlessness I don't know you.

Jesus came to save us not in our sin, but from our sin.

These subtle ideas that you can continue a life of sin and still be saved, is not true.

Now, it doesn't mean as a Christian you may not make mistakes, you may not fall, but if you are held captive by sin, if you are willingly surrendering to sin, if you have no regret or remorse for sin, you're not saved.

If you think sin doesn't matter, look at what it did to Him, and tell me God is indifferent.

There's effort involved in being a Christian.

Pastor Doug, I thought you just had to believe.

It is true, we are saved entirely by faith.

You've got the example of the thief on the cross.

He turned to Jesus and by the way, what's happening in this story there in Luke chapter 23 is that this thief, when he was crucified, 2 thieves crucified with Jesus, they both were first engaged in the mocking of the mob, but they were there 6 hours, something happened.

Somewhere along the way he saw them gambling for Jesus' clothing and then he heard Christ say, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

And his mind went back to something he probably heard as a boy in Sabbath school that Psalm 22 begins, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

And his mind went back to something he probably heard as a boy in Sabbath school, that's Psalm 22, begins my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

And later it says, they cast lots from my clothing and his mind became quick, you know when you're dying, you see your adrenaline's releasing, things happen very quickly.

And his mind's quickened by the Holy Spirit.

Then he looks at the sign above Jesus' head, and it says this is the King of the Jews, and he heard him pray, Father forgive them, they don't know what they're doing, and the Holy Spirit revealed to him this is the Messiah, and he had the faith to say, Lord, even his disciples didn't call him Lord at the cross, remember me when you come into your kingdom.

He did not look like a Lord, he did not look like he had a kingdom, but he said, Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom.

Jesus, that's so wonderful, you know, even though the devil nailed his hands to the cross, he couldn't keep the Savior from saving.

And Jesus immediately, because of that man's faith, in him, he reached out to him and he said, I'm telling you today, I'm making a promise today He didn't say you be with me in paradise that day, because Christ didn't go that day, read John 21, he said, I'm making you a promise today, you will be with me in paradise.

And that man died, saved, by faith, by believing, through God's grace.

Now here's a question, it's hypothetical, but you have to ask this question.

Suppose before that man died, if after he accepted Jesus, If Pilate sent the soldiers out and said, Oh, it looks like we got somebody's name wrong, you really weren't supposed to be crucified, we're really sorry, please forgive us.

And they pry him off the cross, take out the nails and they bring him down, they bind up his hands and he somehow heals.

Or would the grace of God, if he was really saved, would it have transformed him?

Would he have lived a different kind of life?

I surmise that if he was really saved, he would have then had the fruits of obedience.

He said to his friend, he said, do you not fear God seeing we're in the same condemnation?

We're getting the just punishment for our deeds.

This man, speaking of Christ, has done nothing amiss.

He publicly confesses, he repents, he believes, he testifies in Jesus.

He confesses Christ publicly as his Lord and his King.

It's 1 thing, people want Jesus as Lord, they don't want Him as King.

They want Him as Savior, they don't want Him as Lord, is what I should have said.

They don't want Him telling them what to do.

They just want Him to save them from their sins, but they don't want to be saved from the power of sin in their life, just the penalty of sin.

If you're going to be saved, you need all 3.

You need to be saved from the penalty of sin, the power of sin, and in heaven you'll be saved from the presence of sin.

But if the Son will make you free, you should be free.

You know, we often quote and sometimes abuse the verse in Acts 16.30 where Paul and Silas talk to this Philippian jailer, and he said, What must I do to be saved?

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The Devil’s Deadliest Deception

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